Euro 2020: Germany’s shortcomings exposed by Hungary despite qualifying for last-16
After a dramatic day of Euro 2020 games in Group F, Germany booked their berth in the Round of 16. Group F in Euro 2020 lived up to its billing as the Group of Death, as all four teams were in contention to qualify for the Round of 16. Eventually, France, Germany and Portugal booked their places in the knockout round, in that order, after a goal-filled night.
Germany finished level on points with Portugal but pipped the Selecao to second place, owing to a better head-to-head record. Joachim Low’s side were on the cusp of an embarrassing group-stage exit. They twice trailed Hungary before Leon Goretzka's late equaliser forced a share of the spoils and kept Germany alive at Euro 2020.
Hungary exploit Germany’s weaknesses
Germany may have qualified for the last-16, but their performance against Hungary left much to be desired. Just like in their opening game against France, Die Mannschaft were unconvincing.
Low’s side can be ruthless when they click into gear, but the problem is that they’ve rarely been consistent in recent months. On Wednesday, Hungary exploited Germany's flaws in the 2-2 draw in Munich. The Hungarians were lucky not to have won the game after keeping Die Mannschaft at bay for over 80 minutes.
Adam Szalai’s opener once again exposed Germany’s struggles with crosses and set-pieces, while Andras Schafer’s strike was similar to the goals Die Mannschaft conceded against France and Portugal.
The three-back formation is effective, but Low’s players are clearly struggling with their positioning, and against stiffer opposition, they are likely to get published.
Low’s concerns ahead of last 16 tie
Germany have set up a last-16 showdown against England, where they’re bound to be tested. Just like France and Portugal, England boast some of the best attacking players in the world.
Germany’s performance against Hungary showed that they have a lot to improve on. Unfortunately, Low has just a couple of days to prepare his team for such a big game.
“We need to improve on things; we are aware of that and need to take care and be careful, especially at set-pieces,” Low admitted, as quoted by Sky Sports. We cannot repeat the same mistakes again. We need to do things better here, but ahead of the match against England, we're looking forward to it.”
Germany are not a team that takes delight in reaching the last-16 of a tournament. That means Low and his side will be aiming to go further at Euro 2020, but it remains to be seen if they can cut out their mistakes against a formidable opponent like England.
Well, that'll be answered on Sunday in London.